Can anybody help? : mitigating IS development project risk with user

In this paper we aim to gain insight into the relationship between user participation modes and project risk factors, and then we construct a model that can be used to determine how user participation can be successfully applied in ISD projects with a given set of risk factors. We perform an in-depth literature review, which aims to clarify the concept of user participation as part of risk management. We then report on the results of a case study in Cap Gemini where we conduct an exploratory research of the application of user participation in practice. For this exploratory research, a quantitative and qualitative research method was designed in the form of a survey and interviews. Though the results from our case study we gain insight into the relationship between user participation and IS project risk and also determine how user participation can be used to mitigate such risk

Quality measurement of semantic standards

Quality of semantic standards is unadressed in current research while there is an explicit need from standard developers. The business importance is evident since quality of standards will have impact on its diffusion and achieved interoperability in practice. An instrument to measure the quality of semantic standards is designed to contribute to the knowledge domain, standards developers and might ultimo lead to improved interoperability. This instrument is iteratively designed with multiple case studies. This paper describes the rationale and research design, just as current status and future plans

The Development of an IT Governance Maturity Model for Hard and Soft Governance

To be able to advance in maturity, organizations should pay attention to both the hard and soft aspects of governance. Current literature on IT governance (ITG) is mostly directed at the hard part of governance, focusing on structures and processes. The soft part of governance is related to social aspects like human behavior and organizational culture. This part of governance receives much less attention in the literature. The goal of the study is to design a model which covers hard and soft governance and can be used as a basis for a maturity model (MM). We adopted a research method based on a combination of design science and a Delphi study using the Spilter Group Decision Support System. In this paper we build upon a systematic literature study we conducted. In this study we did not find a MM for ITG that covers the hard and soft part of governance. We thus designed a new maturity ITG (MIG) model using knowledge from literature and experts. As the first step we designed an initial model using literature. This initial model was discussed and improved with experts from practice during a Delphi study with four rounds. The result was a MM with four domains and a context of the organization. The four domains are ‘Collaboration’, ‘Structure’, ‘Process’ and ‘Behavior’. Within each domain focus areas were defined based on knowledge from literature and experts. The focus areas ‘Culture’ and ‘Internal organization’ from the initial model were moved to the context component because they could be seen as value free. They belong in the situational part of the MM and not in the maturity grid. The contributions of this paper are twofold: n1) a description of the focus areas of the MIG model, i.e. an ITG MM which covers both hard and soft governance: this is of value because such a model for ITG does not exist and is needed in practice; 2) a description of the design process of the MM: this is of value because the procedures and methods that led to current MMs have only been documented very sketchily or implicitl

Involving end users to mitigate risk in IS development projects

In this paper the authors aim to gain insight into the relationship between user participation modes and project risk factors, and then they constructed a model that can be used to determine how user participation can be successfully applied in ISD projects with a given set of risk factors. The authors performed an in-depth literature review, which aims to clarify the concept of user participation as part of risk management. They then report on the results of a case study in Cap Gemini where we conduct an exploratory research of the application of user participation in practice. For this exploratory research, a quantitative and qualitative research method was designed in the form of a survey and interviews. Through the results from their case study, the authors gained insight into the relationship between user participation and IS project risk and also determine how user participation can be used to mitigate such ris

Evaluating IS/IT Projects: Revealing the Causes of Equivocality

Evaluating IS/IT projects and deciding on their continuation has been hampered by the problem of equivocality. Equivocal situations hinder decision-makers to clearly recognise potential problems and implications of these decisions, as well as to decide the course of action in a purposeful fashion. However, little attention has been devoted to examine the causes of such situations. Extant literature was analysed and synthesised to identify typical characteristics of equivocal situations and uncover the potential causes of equivocality. We developed a framework based on this review and used it further to assist the investigation and to corroborate the causes of equivocality through expert interviews. In this paper, we investigated the causes of equivocality in practice by eliciting insights from different perspectives of decision-makers and their perceptions toward equivocal situations. We found that equivocal situations prevailed are much strongly related to the Challenges in project management, the Complexity in process and the Sophistication of technology within the Content of evaluation. Intriguingly, we found less solid relations with the Lack of standards and the Failure of evaluation methods as these two factors did not emerge as dominant causes during our discussions with the experts

Building and Using Object-Oriented Frameworks for Semi-Structures Domains: The Sales Promotion Domain as Example

Object-oriented (00) frameworks are considered an important step forward in developing software applications efficiently. Success of frameworks has however predominantly been limited to structured domains.This paper describes a method for developing 00 domainframeworks for semi-structured domains. The complexityof such domains requires the use of more elaborate analysis and design techniques than those normallyused in 00 analysis and design. In the method describedhere, the knowledge of domain experts forms the basis for developing the framework. The 00 framework is constructed on the design level using a CASE-tool.Using the design model, the framework can be customized and extended to develop a variety of applicationsfor the domain. The approach is illustrated by developing a framework for the sales-promotions domain,and using this framework to build an application for product managers. It is concluded that the approach described here is beneficial to build and use 00 frameworksfor semi-structured domains

Practices in timetabling in higher education institutions:A systematic review

The study of differences between timetabling research presented in conferences like PATAT or published in Annals of OR and commercial timetabling software used in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is essential for the discussion about innovation in both higher education and in commerce. In the field of planning and scheduling, a lot of developments are made and it is important to recognise that these developments are of influence on HEIs through their use of timetabling software. A main objective of the work presented here is to provide up-to-date information about timetabling in HEIs and see to what extent they adopt and implement timetabling developments. This is crucial because of budgets of institutions being strictly limited and remaining resources like rooms having to be shared more and more. Developments in HEIs have caused planning processes in higher education to deal with more limitations than ever, while at the same time the demand towards flexibility and availability is increasing. This paper gives the results of a systematic literature review in which differences and similarities in theory and practice of timetabling in higher education are described and discussed. We looked at state-of-the-art timetabling research for HEIs, at innovations in the field of timetabling and at changing requirements in Higher Education. The aim of this paper is to motivate the discussion about both the differences and similarities and bring timetabling application development closer to educational requirements